Lakers run down by Suns in Phoenix

PHOENIX >> Mike D’Antoni once patrolled these sidelines, seeing his fast-paced Suns teams score faster than most sprinters leaping off the starting blocks.

The Lakers coach sure could use an injection of that high octane fuel into his current roster.

Instead, the Lakers’ 117-90 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Monday at U.S. Airways Center showed all the problems that’s made their season-long struggles sound repetitive. Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash stayed in Los Angeles to heal their respective knee and back injuries. Pau Gasol still appeared limited from a respiratory illness. The Lakers (13-15) also may as well hope Santa brings them a healthy point guard.

But D’Antoni has a message for any of the Laker fans who share those concerns that’s coincided with a two-game losing streak.

“If they’re discouraged, go find another team to root for,” D’Antoni said. “We’re not going to give up. Are you kidding me? Discouraged? That’s not even fair to these guys. They’re going to fight.”

It didn’t make a difference against the Suns.

Gasol returned from a respiratory illness that kept him out for a game, but his 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting suggested he hasn’t fully recovered. He also took a shot to his right eye in the third quarter after colliding with Suns center Miles Plumlee. The blood streaming outside of Gasol’s pupil perfectly symbolized the Lakers’ physically battered image.

“I feel a little better today. I’m still not healthy,” said Gasol, though he didn’t need stitches to treat his bloody eye. “But I wanted to be with the team and I wanted to play and help as much as I could.”

It didn’t make much of a difference.

Steve Blake remained in a right brace to support his hyperextended right elbow, continuing his workouts where he shoots only left-handed. The Lakers will reevaluate Jordan Farmar’s strained left hamstring today in Los Angeles, but will his presence provide a stocking stuffer for the Lakers’ Christmas Day game against the two-time defending champion Miami Heat?

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“We’ll be back. We’re not going anywhere,” D’Antoni said. “We’re going to fight and try to stay above .500. If anybody hangs their head, then they don’t need to be on our bandwagon. We’re going to fight. We’ll be fine.”

The Lakers didn’t show that against Phoenix. Instead, they looked lifeless in the same way they did Saturday against Golden State on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Lakers shot a collective 37 percent. Nick Young’s team-leading 19 points came on only a 6-of-17 clip. Jodie Meeks’ 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting marked the second consecutive game he shot below 50 percent. Xavier Henry scored 12 points and collected as many fouls (three) as field goals (3-of-12).

“At times we all feel like we have to do it ourselves. It’s a lot of one-on-one’s,” said Young. “If somebody does a one-on-one, someone else feels like next time, it’s my turn. We have to learn how to share the ball and keep the ball moving.”

The Lakers’ new smaller lineup – Shawne Williams at power forward over Jordan Hill – hardly did anything in offsetting the Suns’ wide-spread offense. They still featured a wide range of characters, including Gerald Green (22 points), Marcus Morris (19), Plumlee (17), Eric Bledsoe (16) and Goran Dragic (12). The Suns also outrebounded the Lakers, 62-39.

The Lakers trailed by only four points after the first quarter. But a 17-point third quarter quickly balooned into a 90-68 deficit going into the fourth quarter. In a sequence that captured the game’s horrid play, Suns guard Archie Goodwin bricked a dunk and Hill missed a layup on consecutive possessions.

“We have to bring energy and effort,” Gasol said. “That’s what can make up for the absences and injuries here, be on the samge page and get to every loose ball, box out and fight the opponent.”